


Just Gals Being Pals

by ILikeFloralWayTooMuch



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Genderbending, Genderswap, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, News Media, Paparazzi, Press and Tabloids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 22:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4280244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILikeFloralWayTooMuch/pseuds/ILikeFloralWayTooMuch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Foggy walked into the office that morning, fuming. She snapped, "We have some pressing issues at hand here. You know how those asshole paparazzi have been taking pictures and writing shit about Karen and us lately? Like commenting on our outfits and stuff like that?”</p><p>Maddie nodded, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.</p><p>“Well, I found this on display on the way to work today…” She yanked the magazine from her briefcase and slammed it on the desk. “The headline reads, and I quote: ‘Gal Pals Nelson and Murdock Enjoy Relaxing Day at the Park.’ And then here’s the kicker, Maddie! They have a photo of us feeding ice cream to each other on the park bench.”</p><p>Maddie blinked. “But--we just did that yesterday afternoon. How would they have gotten pictures out that fast?”</p><p>“Demons, Maddie. I don’t know how their dark magic works.” She continued, "And do they not know we’re dating? They called us ‘gal pals’! Like, feeding another woman ice cream while staring into her eyes doesn’t seem like something a couple of buddies would do, you know?”</p><p>Or: Three times the media wrote off Maddie and Foggy's relationship as platonic, and the one time they were forced to acknowledge it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Gals Being Pals

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of got inspired to write this after I saw the "gal pal" meme going around on Tumblr and saw how the media has been treating different female celebrities (ex. Kristen Stewart, etc.) 
> 
> I really aimed for this to be light-hearted and funny when I started writing it, and then it got all fluffy and it started to involve feeeeelings and other fun stuff.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

If someone would have told Foggy Nelson a year ago that the combined efforts of two inexperienced attorneys and a sweet but determined secretary would end up locking away one of the most powerful and terrifying crime lords Hell’s Kitchen had ever seen, she probably would have snorted and replied with a skeptical, “Yeah, right.”

But, well. Here they were.

It had truly been a team effort, and it wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that the three women kicked some serious ass together. It was Foggy’s desire for justice and Maddie’s wit, (along with her tendency to beat information out of bad people) plus Karen’s raw and unbridled determination that put the son of a bitch away.

After Fisk was put away for good, Maddie and Foggy devoted a lot of time and energy into repairing their friendship. When Foggy had demanded that there be a no-exceptions honesty policy between the two of them, Maddie agreed full-heartedly, because if there was one thing both women wanted more than anything, it was to move past the heartache they had caused one another.

Luckily, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds (or, more realistically, most wounds) and Foggy honestly surprised herself at how rapidly and unconditionally she forgave Maddie for her dishonesty.

Shortly after the two women reconciled, they began pursuing a tentative relationship. For the most part, Foggy had initiated it. After weeks of introspection, pining like a high school girl, and coming to terms with Maddie’s secret identity, she came to the conclusion that she was very much in love with her best friend.

It suddenly all made sense to Foggy; why Maddie’s betrayal hurt more than anything she had ever felt before, why she always reacted to things more strongly when they involved Maddie, and why her heart felt like it was going to burst every time she saw her. She realized her feelings of concern and love for the other woman extended much further than that of a best friend. Even during those few horrible days after she found out about Daredevil when they didn’t speak to each other, all Foggy could do was worry about Maddie and pray that she stay safe.

That was why, being the straightforward person she was, she kissed Maddie one hot afternoon in the office while Karen went out to get lunch. She had been receiving signals from Maddie for quite some time, probably years when she truly thought about it, and decided that it was time to do something about it.

It had been a warm, chaste kiss, nothing over the top. She had been feeling confident all day leading up to the kiss, but when she pulled away and saw that Maddie was sitting in her chair rigidly, mouth open in shock, Foggy had wanted to curl up in a ball and die, or move to a different country from the embarrassment.

However, Maddie quickly came back to reality and hauled her down to kiss her back. Ten years of pent up sexual tension bursting out all at once, combined with the broken sighs and whispered confessions of _“waited so long for this”_ and _“I’ve missed you so much”_ …it was both incredible and overwhelming, to say the least.

And so was the beginning of their relationship. Maddie had resolutely insisted on taking things slowly. She knew that she had yet to completely gain back Foggy’s trust, and she didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the progress they had already made.

With time and patience, their sense of companionship grew and evolved in a way that neither of them expected. The love that they felt for each other wasn’t necessarily new, but it was different. They still fully enjoyed doing platonic things like hanging out and watching crappy television shows while Foggy narrated, only now they also wanted to do additional activities, such as holding hands and kissing.

 _Also_ with time came the emergence of the media into their daily lives. As soon as the reporters and journalists had discovered their role in putting Wilson Fisk away, they were immediately deemed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen. Additionally, since they were all strong and confident women, their feats were seen as even more spectacular.

Honestly, it hadn’t been too bad in the beginning; Most of the stuff that was written about them was empowering and quite flattering. Although Foggy never expected to be recognized for her part in putting Fisk away, she couldn’t deny that it was still nice to be appreciated.

A month after Fisk’s arrest, _The Huffington Post_ boldly declared them as some of the most powerful women in the world. Two weeks after that, _The New York Times_ wrote a lengthy article detailing the case, Maddie and Foggy’s law background, and Karen’s involvement in the Union Allied scandal. 

The journalists who initially requested interviews were always polite and respectful, and all of the articles written were used in reputable and trustworthy media outlets, so the three women had never truly minded.

However, as it usually is with most famous public figures, various trashy tabloid writers and photographers soon began to leap all over them like dogs. Unsurprisingly, their portrayal of the three women was not nearly as flattering. Rather than write stories on their cases or the positive change they were bringing about in Hell’s Kitchen, they mainly focused on the women’s appearances and social lives.

For example, Foggy and her long-time friend/rival Brett Mahoney went out for a friendly dinner on a Saturday night; the paparazzi somehow got pictures of the two, and a couple of days later, headlines claimed that the two of them were in love and dating.

Another time, Karen walked to the office one morning without any makeup on, which was a completely valid and respectable choice; but lo and behold, candid pictures were taken of her, and some asshole journalist snidely commented that Karen Page was “letting herself go.”

Needless to say, the three women were not huge fans of tabloid journalism, but since there wasn’t much they could do to stop it, they opted to just ignore it as much as possible.

That is, until everything changed one Thursday morning approximately three months after the arrest. On her way to work, Foggy had been walking past a magazine stand that stood outside of the shady convenience store on that street.

She never really paid any attention to what was on display most of the time, because the majority of the stories and photos were taken out of context, fabricated, or exaggerated.

However, whether it was from fate or just sheer chance, she ended up glancing at one cover that made her jaw drop in shock. In a disbelieving haze, she silently bought the magazine and hiked it the rest of the distance to the office.

*** 

As soon as she slammed the office door shut, Maddie glanced up from one of their case files and smiled radiantly at the other woman. “Good morning, Fog.” However, she quickly sensed Foggy’s tense attitude and her smile dropped significantly. “What’s up? You smell all…wrong.”

Foggy huffed out a laugh before she could stop herself. “Okay, one: you have to stop doing that. It’s seriously creepy. And two: I know you mean it in a weird 'emotional smell' sense, but it always comes off as if you’re insulting my personal hygiene skills."

Maddie grinned playfully. “You know what I mean…and anyways, I prefer it when you don’t shower. You smell more like you without all of the other stuff covering it up.”

Foggy pretended to gag. “Gross. That ‘other stuff’ is called deodorant and shampoo, which are both necessary factors in me not smelling like a garbage truck. And we can talk about your obsession with my body odor at a later date; we have more pressing issues at hand here.”

Maddie sat up straighter, interest piqued. “Did you get any more leads on the Jacobs case?”

Foggy shook her head. “No. Just--just listen to this. You know how those asshole paparazzi have been writing shit about Karen and us lately? Like commenting on our outfits and stuff like that?”

Maddie nodded, eyebrows scrunched together like she was struggling to follow.

“Well, I found _this_ on display on the way to work today…” She yanked the offending magazine from her briefcase and slammed it on her desk. “The headline reads, and I quote: **‘Gal Pals Nelson and Murdock Enjoy Relaxing Day at the Park.'** And then here’s the kicker, Maddie! They have a photo of us _feeding ice cream_ to each other on the park bench.”

Maddie blinked. “But--we just did that yesterday afternoon. How would they have gotten pictures out that fast?”

“Demons, Maddie. I don’t know how their dark magic works.”

Maddie snorted and reached out for her hand, gently squeezing it. “You shouldn’t get so worked up about this. It’s just a picture.”

“But it’s---it’s sexist and ridiculous on so many levels! It’s like they’re reducing us to celebrities or something. Like…if we were men, they wouldn’t be talking about our social lives and what we look like. They would be focusing on our cases, and the good things we do for our clients! Don’t these people have anything better to do?”

“They’re paparazzi. They never focus on actual important issues, it’s always about sensationalizing and doing whatever it takes to get people to buy the magazines. And of course they don’t have anything better to do.”

Foggy continued to rant, as if she wasn’t even listening: “And do they not know we’re dating? They called us ‘gal pals!' Like, feeding another woman ice cream while staring into her eyes doesn’t seem like something a couple of buddies would do, you know?”

It was then that Karen ambled into the office, all sunshine and smiles. “Good morning, you two!”

They both greeted her, and then Foggy took the opportunity to get Karen’s view on the situation. “So Karen,” she began without preamble, “did you happen to see _this_ at the magazine stand on your way here?” She held out the distasteful item so Karen could see it. 

“Um…yeah, actually. I did,” Karen admitted, giggling nervously. “And I didn’t just see it there, either.”

Maddie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I stopped in for coffee at the convenience store across from my apartment and they pretty much took up the entire magazine rack.

“ _What_?” Foggy demanded, almost squealing in indignation. “That’s--that’s bullshit!”

Maddie rubbed her arm soothingly. “Why are you so upset about this, Fog?”

“Why am I--they got pictures of us _on a date_ , which is supposed to be a private occasion, I might add…and then they slapped their stupid heteronormative agenda all over it.

“And more importantly, it’s us feeding each other ice cream.” She looked down at Maddie and patted her hand affectionately. “I know I can’t show you, so you won’t be able to really appreciate it, but just trust me when I say that I look like a complete moron in that picture.”

“No!” Karen interjected, smiling kindly. “You both looked really cute. Honestly.”

Foggy snorted. “I really appreciate how you never cease to be a sweetheart to everybody, even at the expense of lying, but trust me. It was gross. I had chocolate ice cream all over my mouth. Maddie remembers, she can vouch for me.”

“I do remember,” Maddie agreed, and then a sly grin came over her face. “I also remember licking it off your mouth afterwards.”

Karen groaned in fake disgust. “You guys are gross! I’m going to do some filing in the other room so I don’t have to see the two of you making out all day.”

As soon as Karen shut the door, Maddie and Foggy burst out laughing. Foggy instantly felt a little bit better about the magazine incident, and since Maddie and Karen didn’t seem to think the whole ordeal was anything to worry about, she let this one go.

***

The second time it happened, Foggy had almost been killed, or at least seriously injured.

It was a sunny Thursday afternoon, and the two women had just won a case in the defense of Mrs. Jacobs, an elderly woman who had been cheated out of money by her landlord. Feeling extremely happy that they were finally able to bring justice for the people who truly needed help, they decided to meet Karen at the new restaurant a couple of blocks away to celebrate.

Outside of the courthouse, Maddie and Foggy stayed to talk to Mrs. Jacobs about making sure to stop in at the office the next day to tie up some loose ends. After kissing them both on the cheeks and thanking them profusely, Mrs. Jacobs took her cane and walked back to her apartment.

Foggy turned and started to head towards the restaurant, but Maddie grabbed the sleeve of her suit jacket before she could go any further. “Hey, I have to go back and talk to the judge for a minute. It shouldn’t take too long, but I don’t want to have to make you wait.”

Foggy’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “I don’t mind waiting, Maddie.”

Maddie smiled warmly and squeezed Foggy’s hands. “I know you don’t. But I also know you didn’t eat breakfast this morning because of nerves, and your stomach has been growling ever since we got here.”

Foggy blushed, which only made Maddie’s smile grow wider. “So go on ahead and get us a table. I’ll be over soon.”

She sighed in resignation. “Fine, you weirdo. Try not to get yourself thrown into any dumpsters on the way here.” She snuck a quick kiss to Maddie’s cheek before pulling away.

Maddie snorted gently, face flushed pink. “I’ll try my best. Can’t make any promises, though.”

Foggy waited until Maddie was halfway up the courthouse stairs before heading to the crosswalk. She pressed the button, and after scanning both sides of the road, she began walking.

The events that occurred next seemed to occur inhyper drive. All that she fully remembered was opening up her purse to fish around for her cell phone so she could call Karen. Then all of a sudden she heard the engine of a car, followed by a taxi speeding and swerving all over the street. It was coming straight for her, but Foggy was frozen to the spot, paralyzed with fear and adrenaline.

Everything was moving in a blur for Foggy: bystanders were screaming, the smell of burning rubber filled up her nostrils, and her last coherent thought was, “Maddie’s gonna be _so pissed_ ,” right before somebody slammed right into her, effectively knocking both of them onto the sidewalk a millisecond before the taxi zoomed past. 

Foggy figured that she must have had a brief lapse of consciousness, because the next thing she recalled was someone gently shaking her to wake her back up, and a familiar voice yelling, _“Foggy…Oh God, Foggy…Please wake up…Foggy!”_

She let out a low groan and forced her heavy eyes to open, only to see Maddie’s stupid angel face hovering over her. “Oh _Jesus_ , Foggy, you scared the shit out of me!”

Maddie looked like she was about to cry, and even though Foggy felt like her skull was splitting in two, she still felt the overwhelming need to comfort her best friend. “Hey…Maddie, ’s okay…” She reached up and brushed Maddie’s bangs out of her face. Maddie instantly melted into the touch and responded by pressing light kisses to Foggy’s scraped knuckles.

Foggy sighed and tried shaking the mugginess from her brain. “What the hell just happened?”

Maddie’s expression instantly grew darker. “A taxi driver almost hit you. Apparently, he was high on some new street drug, and right after he almost hit you, he swerved again and crashed into a parked car down the street.”

Foggy raised her eyebrows. “Shit. Was anyone hurt? And how do you know he was on drugs? Could you smell it or something?”

Maddie shook her head. “Nobody was hurt, thankfully. And no, I couldn’t smell it. I overheard the police interrogating the guy after they pulled him out of the taxi.”

Maddie swallowed, and Foggy could tell she was once again holding back tears. “I heard the car screeching and I heard your heartbeat…it sounded like it was going to burst out of your chest. As soon as I heard that, I came over as fast as I could run, and I shoved you out of the way…Jesus, Foggy, I was so close to not being able to save you…”

Maddie looked absolutely stricken, and the last thing Foggy wanted was for “Almost Failed at Using Superhuman Skills to Save Idiot Girlfriend” to be added onto Maddie’s ever-growing list of Reasons to be Consumed by Catholic Guilt.

“Hey…but you did save me, you dork. And if I had been in your position, I probably would have let me get hit by that taxi. It would have definitely taught me a lesson about operating mobile devices while in a crosswalk, that’s for sure.”

A laugh escaped Maddie, but it was more out of shock than actual amusement. “You’re unbelievable, do you know that?”

“Yeah, I’m aware. That’s why you like me so much.” She tried sitting up on her own, but that just resulted in pain shooting up her entire torso, neck, and skull. “Okay, never mind. Bad idea. I’m just gonna rest here on this super comfortable pavement for a minute.”

“Foggy, I called an ambulance while you were out. You need to get to a hospital. You might have a concussion. Your hands are scraped up pretty badly, and you hit your head pretty hard when you landed on the sidewalk.”

“Did I? That might explain why it feels like somebody split my brain open with a pickax.”

Maddie stared for a few seconds and then nodded her head decisively. “Yeah. You definitely need to be taken to the hospital."

“But I don’t wanna,” Foggy whined. She didn’t want to get up from the pavement. The pavement was her friend, and if she focused on laying really still on it, her body didn’t feel like it was about to self-destruct as much. “Can’t you just take me back to your apartment and work your secret ninja first aid skills on me? I know you did it for Claire once.”  
  
Maddie smiled wanly. “You’re right, but her injuries weren’t that severe. Mostly bruises and cuts. You could have a concussion, Foggy.”

She sighed dramatically. “Fine, you cruel woman. I’ll get in the ambulance, but don’t think I’ll be happy about it. Also, I think you might have to help me up first.”

“Of course.” Maddie carefully wrapped her arms around Foggy’s waist and lifted her off of the ground, trying to avoid causing any further pain or discomfort.

They didn’t have to wait long for the ambulance. Despite the whole situation being sucky in general, it was made exponentially better with Maddie there to hold her hand throughout the ride to the hospital and the medical examinations that followed.

***

Thankfully, it turned out that Foggy didn’t have a concussion or any other severe injuries. However, she did end up with bandaged hands, a bandaged head that made her look “absolutely ridiculous, Maddie!” and a couple of bruised ribs. She was instructed to be on bed rest for the next few days to prevent further injury.

(Foggy was also thankful that the “coincidence” of a blind woman being able to sense an impending car accident, running like a maniac through a crosswalk and saving her best friend just in the nick of time from becoming road kill didn’t raise any red flags with anybody. When the police and medical professionals inquired about it, Maddie simply replied it was “probably just luck and adrenaline working on my side.” Thank god they believed her.)

“This is so stupid, though!” Foggy complained the moment they entered her apartment. “I’m gonna miss out on you and Karen working hard to rid the world of assholes while I’m sitting here all weekend watching _Law and Order_ re-runs!”

Maddie laughed. “Karen and I will finish up any extra paperwork with Mrs. Jacobs tomorrow and then we’ll work on some filing over the weekend. You’re not going to miss out on any crime fighting, Foggy. I promise.”

Foggy sighed, gingerly lowering herself onto the sofa. “I don’t wanna be laying around my apartment all weekend!”

Maddie’s face switched into Serious Lawyer Mode. “But that's exactly what you are going to do, and you’re not going to step one foot into the office anytime during the next few days. Is that understood?" 

Foggy knew in the back of her mind that she should probably be mad at Maddie giving her orders like that, but she was so surprised at how turned on she was by it that she couldn’t muster it. “You know, you should do this whole bossy routine more often. It’s kind of sexy,” she admitted with a sly grin.

“Oh, really?” Maddie asked, curiously raising an eyebrow. She crawled right next to Foggy on the sofa and began playing with the other woman’s blonde curls. “Well, in that case,” she continued, matching Foggy with an equally mischievous smile, “We’re going to have to test that out sometime, aren’t we? When you’re not bruised up anymore.”

Foggy swallowed thickly. “Or we could test it out now,” she countered, deliberately tugging at the waistband of Maddie’s dress pants.

Maddie groaned and bit her lip, struggling to control herself. “You’re injured, and you’re on a bunch of pain meds right now, Fog.”

She turned completely towards her and cradled her face in both of her hands. “When we finally do have sex, you’re going to be fully aware of what’s going on. When I kiss you, I want you to be able to fully enjoy it.” Maddie moved even closer so that they were centimeters away from kissing. “…And when I touch you…I want you to remember exactly _where_ I touched you.”

Foggy whimpered against Maddie’s mouth. “Damn those doctors for prescribing me drugs. I could see their cockblocking agenda from a mile away.”

Maddie laughed and responded with a chaste kiss. “Those cruel bastards,” she joked as she stood up and gathered up her things. “I’m going to head back to the office and assure Karen _in person_ that you’re alright. Then afterwards, I’m coming back over here and cooking us dinner.”

Foggy raised an eyebrow. “By ‘cooking,’ do you really just mean ‘ordering takeout’?”

“No, it means that I am actually going to take different ingredients and make something edible out of them.”

“Ms. Murdock, color me impressed. I might as well start calling you Gordon Ramsey.”

Maddie grinned. “I don’t work in Hell’s Kitchen for nothing.”

They both laughed at that, and then Maddie leaned down to give Foggy one last lingering kiss before heading towards the door.

“So…I’ll see you later then?”

Foggy smiled a little bit dopily. “Yeah. Later.”

***

Maddie showed up later that night for dinner, as well as the following three nights. They chatted and joked amiably while Maddie cooked, and then they sat on Foggy’s sofa and watched (while Foggy narrated) terrible reality shows.

Without fail, Maddie ended up sleeping at Foggy’s place all four nights. Although they never had sex, they did fall asleep in Foggy’s bed in their sweatpants, limbs tangled together.

As much as Foggy loved having sex in general, she secretly loved just _sleeping_ with Maddie even more. She loved the way Maddie curled an arm around her waist and buried her face into the space between her shoulder blades as she slept; and despite the fact that Maddie snored sometimes and usually hogged most of the blankets for herself, Foggy came to the dizzying realization that she was so in love with her that she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

***

When Monday morning rolled around, Foggy was feeling rejuvenated and in significantly less pain. She no longer had to wear her bandages, and she knew that she and Maddie were supposed to meet with two new prospective clients later on in the day. To say the least, Foggy was in a great mood as she made her way to the office that morning.

That is, until she happened to pass by and glance at the exact same magazine stand where she had found the “Gal Pal” issue a few weeks ago.

Foggy did a double take and then stared for a few seconds, not believing her own eyes. She threw back her head and groaned in exasperation while the man operating the magazine stand looked at her like she had horns growing out of her head. “Oh, for the love of _God_.”

***

Maddie and Karen were drinking coffee and chatting when Foggy stormed in a few minutes later and slammed the door shut.

Maddie immediately turned to face Foggy. Her eyes widened behind her glasses in concern. “Foggy, what--”

Foggy threw the magazine down on Karen’s desk so she could fully empathize with her distress and anger. “The paparazzi wrote another goddamn article about us, Maddie!”

“What does it say, Karen?” Maddie asked.

Karen blushed uncomfortably. “Um…well, the headline says, **‘Madison Murdock Saves Bestie Frances Nelson from Deadly Attack!’ "**

Maddie’s face was blank. “At least they didn’t call us ‘gal pals’ this time.”

Foggy buried her face in her hands from frustration. Maddie clearly didn’t get it. “But they said I was your ‘bestie,’ which implies that they pretend that we spend our time together painting each other’s toenails instead of making out and doing romantic shit together.”

Maddie huffed out a gentle laugh. “It’s not the media’s fault they don’t know we’re dating, Fog.”

“Well, I honestly don’t see how they couldn’t _possibly_ know, since every damn picture they take of us is pretty explicit about our relationship. For God’s sake, Maddie, the picture they took of us the other day makes us look like we came right out of the dramatic romantic rescue scene in a chick flick!” 

Foggy wasn’t wrong. The paparazzi sure knew how to capture a Kodak moment, she gave them that much.

The cover picture showed the two of them collapsed on the sidewalk with Maddie hovering over Foggy while she brushed the hair out of Maddie’s eyes. The expression on Maddie’s face made her look as if her soul had just been ripped out, and for the life of her, Foggy could not figure out how the paparazzi could look at this picture and say, “Hey, this looks _totally_ platonic!”

“Oh, wow,” Karen commented. “Look at this.” She flipped through the magazine until she found the page she was looking for. “They have a four-page article on you guys. There are more pictures here, as well.”

“Really?” Maddie sputtered. “What does it say?”

Karen quickly scanned the article. “Well, it mostly talks about the accident and that high taxi driver, and how you saved Foggy’s life. And then it says how you met in law school and have been friends ever since. Oh! They also wrote a little bit about your cases, which is different.”

“Oh,” Foggy said weakly. “Well…that’s good, right?”

Maddie chimed in, “At least they’re focusing on our careers instead of our outfits and social lives like that other magazine did." 

Karen held up a finger in protest. “Actually, they talk about that, too.” 

Foggy groaned in defeat. “Oh, _come on_. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: These assholes are sexist and heteronormative, and it’s stupid.”

“Do you want to take a look at it for yourself?” Karen held out the magazine, but Foggy firmly shook her head. “No way. It’s only going to make my blood pressure go through the roof, and God knows that’s the last thing I need right now. Just…take it home with you, or throw it away. Whatever you want.”

Karen shrugged and tossed the offensive magazine into the wastebasket by her desk.

Shortly after, Ms. Anders, their client who needed help with getting child support from a deadbeat ex-boyfriend, walked in, and the three women were forced to focus all of their attention and energy on her.

Thankfully, Foggy was able to gradually forget about the incident thanks to the slow, lingering kisses Maddie sneakily gave her throughout the day.

***

The third time it happened, Foggy was seriously worried that Maddie would shit a brick.

It had been a week and a half since Foggy’s accident, and everything had been pretty quiet, in regards to the media. Foggy never told Karen or Maddie, but she would almost always check the magazine stand on her way to the office every morning to see if any new photos or articles had surfaced. As a result, when nothing showed up during those days, Foggy relaxed a little bit. She assumed and hoped that the paparazzi had finally moved on to stalking people with more interesting lives than her and Maddie’s.

So when she passed the magazine display that Thursday morning and realized she had forgotten to check for anything new, she didn’t really worry too much about it.

Foggy hummed to herself as she entered the building. She was in a pretty spectacular mood; Thanks to them, Ms. Anders was finally going to receive all of the missed payments, plus some, of the child support her slimy ex-boyfriend had refused to pay for the past five years.

Foggy walked into their shoebox of an office and hung up her jacket. The first thing she took notice of was that Maddie was nowhere to be seen. Foggy assumed that she was either in the bathroom or she just hadn’t showed up yet. Secondly, and more prominently, she noticed out of her peripheral vision that Karen _would not stop_ looking at her. 

Foggy turned to make eye contact with her, but as soon as she realized she was being suspicious, Karen quickly looked away with a blush rising over her face.

“Karen?” Foggy crossed her arms and raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“Hmm?” Karen asked, trying her hardest to act innocent.

“Karen, please know that you are an amazing secretary and friend with a heart of gold, and I love you like a sister, okay? I’m not trying to insult you, but seriously, you are _terrible_ at being inconspicuous.”

Karen’s blush only got deeper. “Sorry, Foggy. Really, it’s…it’s stupid. Don’t worry about it.”

“Considering the fact that I just caught you staring at me like somebody just murdered my cat, which I _do not have_ , by the way…I’m thinking maybe I should worry about it.”

Karen nervously bit her lip for a moment, and then finally let out a resigned sigh. “Fine. If you come over here, I’ll show you. I…I found more pictures of you and Maddie together on this trashy gossip website. I have no idea how they’re getting some of these photos, though.”

Foggy made her way over to Karen’s desk and leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at the computer. She instantly winced when she saw the website. Karen was right; just taking one look at it confirmed that it was indeed very trashy, and Foggy couldn’t help but think that it gave off a Perez Hilton-esque vibe as she scanned over the page.

And boy, were there _pictures_.

There were at least twenty of them, all taken in various locations at different times throughout the last week. A few were of Maddie holding onto her arm as they walked down the street together. Others were also of them walking down the street, only in these ones, they were holding hands.

The last set of pictures were close-ups of them doing various activities inside of Foggy’s apartment: eating dinner and watching television on the couch, and sitting across from each other at Foggy’s cheap little dining table and holding hands while they talked.

Foggy was absolutely floored. How the hell did they even manage to get those pictures? Her apartment was on the third floor of the building, for God’s sake. She somewhat admired their tenacity, but more than anything else, she was pretty freaked out by it.

After deciding to temporarily forget about the very real possibility that she might have to deal with a restraining order, Foggy took a leap of faith and read the captions. She assumed that _surely_ , after how obviously non-heterosexual these pictures were, the media would acknowledge that there were some pretty romantic vibes going on.

But no. Foggy had never had good luck with blind faith in the past, and this time wasn’t any different.

 **“The inseparable friends walk arm in arm to the supermarket last Saturday.”** That was the first caption.

**“BFF’s Nelson and Murdock hold hands on their way back from courtroom hearing.”**

**“Dynamic Duo Lawyers have a fun girls’ night at Nelson’s apartment.”**

And the last caption that really stuck out was **“Gal Pals Nelson and Murdock enjoy friendly dinner together.”**

Huh. And once again, they were back to being called “Gal Pals.” Part of her wanted to laugh, wanted to say something lighthearted and witty like “Yeah, celebrating our three-month anniversary as a couple _really_ counts as a friendly dinner,” but she knew that it would make her sound hysterical and crazy, and it would only make Karen give her those big concerned doe eyes.

Instead, Foggy whispered, “Oh my God” and tried her hardest to ignore the stinging in her eyes. She suddenly felt dizzy and frankly, kind of nauseous.

“Are you okay, Foggy?” Karen asked gently, effectively snapping her out of her stupor.

“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. Great, in fact,” she lied, forcing a smile when she saw Karen looking up at her sympathetically. “Let’s just…not tell Maddie about this. I don’t want her to worry about it. These people probably just want to get a reaction out of us, and being upset isn’t worth it--”

“Foggy, what happened?” Maddie’s quiet voice asked from behind her.

Foggy whipped around in surprise, heart rate skyrocketing. Maddie stood there with her glasses off and her hand gripped so tight around her cane that Foggy was worried she would break it.

“Oh, um…” Foggy was at a loss of what to say to her. She didn’t want to tell Maddie about the pictures, but she also knew that lying would be an incredibly dumb move thanks to Maddie’s stupid heart rate monitoring abilities.

The last thing Foggy wanted was for Maddie to get upset and worry about her just because of her stupid insecurities. Maddie had countless different problems to worry about at any given time due to her secret vigilante identity, and _this_ …these constant feelings of _not good enough, not believable enough for anyone to think I’m her girlfriend,_ it was so stupid that it was probably the last thought on Maddie’s mind. It had to be.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Foggy replied, willing her heartbeat to slow to an acceptable rate.

Maddie’s frown grew deeper. “It doesn’t sound like it’s nothing. What were you and Karen talking about?”

Foggy casually shrugged her shoulders. “Girl stuff. Stuff for girls. Just your super cool girlfriend and one of your best friends chatting it up. Like girls do.”

Foggy winced as soon as that jumbled mess of words came out of her mouth. Even _she_ knew that sounded absolutely pathetic.

Maddie clearly wasn’t buying it either. She took two strides across the room, and then she was grasping the other woman’s wrist, gently feeling her pulse with her thumb. She forced Foggy to look up at her, and when she complied, she sighed in defeat. Maddie was using the goddamn _puppy eyes._ “Foggy? Talk to me.”

Well, she was officially done for. Maddie had a very intimate knowledge of Foggy’s extreme weakness for puppy eyes. Especially Maddie’s. Every single time Maddie pulled the puppy eyes on her, Foggy was instantly reminded of a sad, vulnerable baby, which always made her feel like the shittiest human being on the planet.

“Okay, okay. Fine, _Jesus_. Just…don’t be upset?” Foggy took a shaky breath. “Karen just found some more pictures of us on some stupid website." 

Maddie raised an eyebrow at Foggy’s vagueness. “What are we doing in these pictures?”

“You know, just doing normal stuff…like you holding onto my arm, and holding hands in public…” She paused, and then uttered the next part as nonchalantly as possible. “…and spending our anniversary together in my apartment last week.”  
  
Maddie’s grip on her wrist tightened. “They took pictures of us inside of your _apartment_?” She demanded, voice dangerously low.

Whoa. Foggy was not expecting her to react like this. She figured Maddie might be upset, sure, but _this_ …Maddie sounded livid, and frankly, it was scaring her.

“Okay,” Foggy stammered, gently prying Maddie’s hand away. “Let’s calm down a bit, shall we? It’s really not a huge deal. One of the photographers most likely lives across the street in one of the upstairs apartments. He or she probably just saw us through the window, and--”

“Foggy,” Maddie grit out, “I don’t care how the person did it. They followed us home--to your apartment--without your permission, without you knowing, and took pictures of us. They can’t--I’m not going to let the paparazzi invade your privacy to the point where they’re stalking you. I’m not going to let them put you through that, Foggy.”

Poor Karen was forced to glance nervously between the two of them, unsure of what she should do to help.

Just then, Ms. Anders entered the office and paused uncertainly when she sensed the tension between the women. “Oh, is this a bad time? I can come back later.”

Maddie swallowed and fabricated a reassuring smile. “Of course not, Ms. Anders. We will be with you shortly.” She turned to Karen. “Take her into the other room, start her on the paperwork. We need to get her an Order of Filiation since the ex-boyfriend never signed an Acknowledgement of Paternity.”

Karen nodded once and then led Ms. Anders away. She glanced over her shoulder and gave Maddie and Foggy one last meaningful look before closing the door.

When Maddie was certain they were out of earshot, she pulled up an office chair and sat down, motioning for Foggy to do the same. Foggy lowered herself into Karen’s chair and turned so they were facing one another.

Foggy hung her head for a solid thirty seconds, waiting for Maddie to speak up. When she didn’t, Foggy glanced up and was shocked to see Maddie quietly biting her lip, her shoulders so tense they shook.

“Maddie,” Foggy whispered sadly, reaching to take Maddie’s hands in her own.

The physical contact seemed to bring Maddie back to reality. She squeezed back and asked hoarsely, “Can you or Karen please get me the name of the photographer and the editor of this website?”

Maddie was back to looking like she wanted to strangle someone, or in this case, a few someone’s, which did nothing to make Foggy feel any better.

“Can I ask why?”

“Yes. Because I’m going to have a talk with them.”

“Oh my God! Maddie, if your version of ‘talking’ actually translates to ‘beating the shit out of a couple of pathetic lowlifes’ you are _so_ not doing that!”

Foggy glanced behind her shoulder to make sure Karen and Ms. Anders were still in the other room. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Were you planning on using a _Double-D_ method to solve this?”

A harsh laugh escaped from Maddie. “Yes, that was the plan.”

Foggy was well aware that Maddie couldn’t see her glaring, but it was the principle of the thing that counted. “That’s a terrible plan. Don’t get me wrong, most of your vigilante plans have generally been terrible, but I think this one really takes the cake.

“What, did you think you were going to burst into their homes and hang them over ledges and yell at them in your scary voice to stop taking pictures of a super gay lawyer couple just because it makes one of them uncomfortable and super insecure? Because I’m pretty sure that’s fairly low on Dare… _Double-D’s_ list of priorities. And I’m extremely certain that it would only result in these people, who work for the media, I might add, being tipped off as to who exactly is behind that stupid red horned mask.”

Maddie cleared her throat. “I guess I never thought about that,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Of course you didn’t, because you like to go around and jump headfirst into conflict without thinking. You punch first and ask questions second, and it kind of scares the living shit out of me, Maddie.”

Maddie’s eyes softened. "I’m sorry, Fog. You know I’m trying to be more careful. I think I should probably start asking you for advice before I make reckless decisions. You clearly think about these things more than I do.”

Foggy smiled weakly. “Damn right I do.”

They sat quietly together, Foggy enjoying the calming repetition of rubbing her thumb over Maddie’s slightly bruised knuckles.

Then Maddie scrunched her eyebrows together as if she remembered something significant. “Wait, so what was this about you being insecure?”

Foggy stared at her blankly for a few seconds, and then she remembered. Shit.

She decided to play dumb. “What? I don’t remember saying that.” She could feel her heartbeat thrumming rapidly in her chest, a clear giveaway of her dishonesty, but at least it was worth a shot.

“Foggy, you _do_ remember our conversation where I told you I can tell when you’re lying, right?”

“Very clearly,” Foggy grumbled.

Maddie scooted forward in her chair and leaned in so close that their knees touched. “Then tell me the truth. Please?”

Foggy closed her eyes and swallowed down the nausea that threatened to return. She _really_ did not want to talk to Maddie about this. She knew for a fact she would cry, and she didn’t want Maddie to witness that.

Foggy made an effort to steady her breathing before she began. “Like, you’re just a perfect person overall, inside and out, and I know you like me for me, but sometimes I just get really…insecure because it seems like pretty much everybody who sees us…knows I’m way out of your league. Hell, it’s as if we’re not even playing the same sport. You’re like the NBA, and I’m golf or something. Sorry, that was a bad analogy. But it’s just, sometimes I can’t even believe you _wanted_ to date me! And…”

Foggy bit her lip and silently wished for the dampness in her eyes to subside. “And when the paparazzi take pictures of us and say stuff like ‘Gal Pals’ and ‘Besties’ it’s like…it’s like a slap in the face. Like I’m so out of your league and unattractive that even the media couldn’t believe for a _second_ that you would date someone like me…”  
  
Foggy broke off with a hitched breath, and before she could do anything to stop it, she was crying.

Her mother had always told her that Nelson women were some of the ugliest criers in the world, and well…she wasn’t wrong. Little hiccupping gasps escaped her, followed by big fat tears. Foggy thought faintly, _This cannot not happening_  

The next thing she knew, she was being pulled out of Karen’s office chair and directly onto Maddie’s lap. “Oh, no. Foggy, Foggy, Foggy,” Maddie murmured like a prayer. She pulled Foggy’s head down to pepper kisses along her cheeks and jaw. “How could you…God, how could you even think that?”

She buried one hand into Foggy’s hair and tenderly wiped away her tears with the other. “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I know you can’t hear my heartbeat like I can with you, but you _need_ to know that I’m telling the truth. I have no idea why you don’t feel like you’re not good enough. If anything, I’m the one who’s out of your league.”

Foggy scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s true. You’re such a great person, and I’m--bad. I _enjoy_ hurting people, and I’m broken--”

“Maddie, you are not broken. And don’t say you’re a bad person. You help people in need. You save lives, and if you don’t think that makes you good, then--”

“No. I’m not good like you,” Maddie insisted. “You’re so good that it’s hard for me to believe that you’re a real person. When we first started dating, and even now, sometimes all I can think is ‘What did I ever do to deserve someone as amazing as her?’”

Foggy closed her eyes, trying to prevent round two of the waterworks.

“Foggy, you’re so kind and thoughtful to everyone you meet. You’ve always been kind to me, even though I didn’t deserve it most of the time. You’ve always been good enough-- _more_ than good enough, and if these paparazzi and journalists are too dumb to see that, then it’s their problem.”

Maddie took a moment to reach up and soothingly run her thumb back and forth against Foggy’s cheek. “And as for you not thinking you’re attractive? Foggy, you’re absolutely gorgeous, so I don’t understand where your insecurities are coming from.”  
  
Foggy laughed hollowly. “Maddie, you can’t even see me! How the hell are you supposed to know whether or not I’m attractive?”

Maddie made a mild noise. “I may be blind, but I still know what you look like.”  
  
“What, does it have something to do with that ‘world on fire’ stuff you told me about?”

“That’s a big part of it. It gives me a general outline of a person’s features, and I can tell pretty easily if a person is good-looking or not. So from the minute I met you, I knew that you were physically attractive.” She smiled sweetly. “But I really learned what you looked like when you let me touch your face during our first year of school. I think that’s when I first really realized I loved you. You just--without hesitation, let me do it when I asked. I could tell from your heartbeat that you trusted me completely, despite us basically being strangers.”

Foggy blushed, recalling the incident as clear as day.

Maddie continued, “I remember how much your face heated up when I first touched you. I traced your entire face with my hands until I had you memorized. You have a heart-shaped face and long eyelashes. You have a really cute button nose, and soft lips…Your hair is naturally wavy, but you straighten it every once in a while. I remember it was really wavy that day, and it smelled like that vanilla shampoo you always used back then…Ever since that day, I’ve never forgotten what you look like. It’s like the memory of it is etched into my mind.”

Foggy’s face remained pleasantly warm, and she smiled a little bit despite her stinging eyes and tear-streaked face. “What else do you know about me?” she asked shyly.

Maddie smiled back. “I know you have blue eyes like the sky--”

“You can see people’s eye colors?” Foggy asked incredulously.

Maddie chuckled. “No. You told me yourself, years ago.”  
  
“Oh. That makes more sense.”

Maddie hummed softly, expression growing more solemn. “I’m so sorry those assholes made you feel this way for so long. And I’m sorry I was too focused on other things to notice it.”

Foggy shrugged. “It’s okay, Maddie. I didn’t really realize why I was so upset about it until recently.”

Maddie shook her head sadly. “It’s not okay. Is this why you’ve been acting differently over the past few weeks?”

Foggy shrugged, wiping her runny nose with the back of her hand. “I never realized I was acting differently.”

“You’ve smelled…sadder recently. And your heartbeat’s been more anxious.”

A wet laugh bubbled out of her. “You’re like a goddamn dog, Maddie. And sometime in the near future, when I don’t look like a train wreck, and when I don’t have snot coming out of my nose, we’re going to sit down and have yet another conversation about sniffing people, and the potentially awkward repercussions of doing so." 

Maddie wrapped her arms around Foggy’s waist and squeezed. She rested her head against the other woman’s shoulder, smiling affectionately. “I’ll never think you’re a train wreck, no matter how much snot is coming out of your nose. As for the other part: We’ve already discussed that I can’t really control what I sense or smell from other people. Especially when it’s coming from you.”

Foggy clucked her tongue. “Alright, you weirdo. I’ll let it go for now.” She looked in at Karen and Ms. Anders through the glass. “We should probably get in there. Do some lawyering. Help some people out the good old-fashioned way, sans a stupid-looking vigilante costume.” 

Maddie made an affirmative yet reluctant sound. “Are you sure you want to work, though? You can take the day off if you want. Karen and I can handle this.”  
  
Foggy gave her a playful smile. “What, and miss the opportunity to work on a case where we can make a scumbag pay a crapload of money to the mother of his child? No chance in hell.”

Maddie pulled her down for one last kiss. “Okay, but just…please believe me about everything I’ve said. It’s all true, Fog. I love you so much, and it kills me that you’ve been keeping this inside for so long.”

Foggy’s heart stuttered just a little bit at how much she loved this woman, and how lucky she was to have her. “I believe you, Maddie. And I’m sorry for not telling you. I thought I was being sensitive and stupid, and quite frankly, paranoid. But I’m kind of glad I told you because you made me feel so much better. So thank you.”

Maddie reached up and brushed away a stray tear that escaped Foggy’s eye. She rested their foreheads together and whispered, “You don’t need to thank me. I’m just happy you feel better.” 

They stayed like that for a minute, Foggy silently enjoying the feeling of Maddie against her skin. The last thing Foggy wanted was to get up, but she knew that Karen and Ms. Anders were waiting. She groaned reluctantly and pulled away from her girlfriend.

As Foggy was rising off of Maddie’s lap to go wash up her face in the sink, Maddie grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Foggy, look at me.”

Foggy did.

Without her glasses, Maddie’s expression seemed especially raw and intense. “The next time this happens, I _will_ take care of it. I promise.”

***

The next time it happened…well, it went _a lot_ better than Foggy could have ever hoped for.

It had been two weeks since Maddie had made her promise to Foggy, and absolutely nothing regarding their epic “friendship” had surfaced in the media; no pictures, articles, headlines, zilch.

Foggy had secretly been checking every magazine stand and gossip website she could find, but the paparazzi were being surprisingly dormant. Unnervingly so, in fact. It was as if it was the calm before the storm. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to it happening again, but she couldn’t help but anticipate it.

Maddie and Foggy had just won Ms. Anders’ child support case that Wednesday afternoon, which called for celebration.

On their way out of the courtroom, Foggy called Karen, told her the good news, and asked if she wanted to meet up for a late lunch. Karen had chirpily responded to go ahead without her and have fun, so that’s what they did.

They went to a new Thai restaurant where Foggy ordered tom yum soup, despite Maddie specifically telling her not to. This subsequently ended in Maddie laughing way too loudly when Foggy gasped, “What is this made of, Satan’s asshole?” as her face burned and tears streamed out of her eyes.

After guzzling two more glasses of water and receiving amused glances from the waiter, the two women left and walked aimlessly down the street, feeling content and carefree.

An hour later, they ended up in the park, strolling hand in hand. Birds were chirping, rays of sunshine streamed through the trees, and time seemed to slow as thoughts of love and the dizzying smell of Maddie’s jasmine shampoo filled Foggy’s head. All in all, it was a pretty damn near perfect day.

That is, until all of a sudden, Maddie’s grip on her hand tightened and her entire body tensed up like a nervous animal.

Foggy’s heart pounded anxiously. She leaned in close to Maddie’s ear and whispered, “What’s wrong? Is…is somebody bad following us?”

“Depends on your definition of the word ‘bad,' " she replied vaguely. “Somebody’s taking pictures of us.”

“How can you tell?” Foggy asked, not daring to turn around and look for herself. She didn’t know whether or not it would be worse if the paparazzo knew that they were aware of his presence.

“I can hear his camera clicking…and I can hear him rustling around in the bushes behind us. He’s hiding.”

“Oh, shit,” Foggy muttered. “What do you think we should do? Make a run for it?”

Maddie’s serious expression deepened in concentration. Then, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared, and a bright smile took its place. She gently turned both of them so they faced each other and said, “No, Foggy, just--come here.”

Before Foggy could react in any way, Maddie pulled her in by the lapels of her suit jacket and kissed her.

This wasn’t some friendly peck on the cheek or forehead that they were used to demonstrating in public; no, this was one of those kisses that Maddie usually reserved for when they were alone in one of their apartments, slow, warm, sexy, and leaving Foggy with the overwhelming urge to rip off Maddie’s clothes right then and there.

Once she got over the initial shock of her girlfriend _kissing the hell out of her in public_ , she gasped against Maddie’s mouth and kissed back.

If somebody would have told Foggy back in law school that years later, she would be making out with her best friend, girlfriend, love of her life, in public with the knowledge that a member of the paparazzi was snapping photos of them twenty feet away, she would have downright laughed.

But well, here they were.

After kissing for a solid forty-five seconds, Maddie pulled away. Foggy let out a whine at the loss of contact. Maddie smiled wide at that and tangled their fingers together. “Was it that good?”

Foggy stared at her in disbelief and fondness. “Are you serious? Yes, Maddie, it was _that good_. It was fantastic. In fact, I’m now seriously considering taking you over to that bench and having sex with you.”

Maddie grinned, a pretty pink blush rising over her face. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. If we did, we’d probably give that poor guy over there a heart attack.”

Oh, yeah. Foggy had sort of forgotten about him, what with all of the making out that had been occurring.

She turned to face the half-hidden photographer whose upper body was leaning out of the bushes as he snapped pictures like crazy, and yelled, “Hey, you! Did you get what you need? Because my girlfriend and I are trying to have a moment here!”

Apparently, the photographer hadn’t planned on being spotted. Before Foggy could even finish her sentence, the flustered man scrambled out of the bush and ran in the opposite direction like a bat out of hell.

After he was gone, Foggy turned her attention back to Maddie. “So this was your way of 'taking care of it'? You _do_ know that this is gonna be all over the news tomorrow, right? We’re totally going to break the Internet.”

“Don’t care. I’m tired of people refusing to acknowledge the fact that we’re dating. I love you, Foggy, and I want people to know that we’re not afraid or embarrassed of being together. It’s not like the paparazzi are going to stop taking pictures of us any time soon, so we might as well stop trying to hide it.”

Foggy shrugged and smiled happily. “That’s true. And I love you too, Maddie.” She leaned in and kissed Maddie one last time. Then she pulled back and gave her a mischievous grin. “Let’s see them try to call us ‘Gal Pals’ now.”

***

Just as Foggy had predicted, pictures of their kiss _flooded_ the media the next day, as well as the following week. Even so, neither woman could find it in herself to mind very much.

Karen walked in the following day and plopped a magazine down on Foggy’s desk. Right before she went to get coffee, she winked at Foggy and commented, “I think they’re finally starting to catch on.”

Foggy looked down at the magazine and laughed when she read the headline: **“Girlfriends Nelson and Murdock Spend Afternoon in the Park!”**  

“Maddie, get in here! I have something to tell you.”

Foggy heard the click of low-heeled shoes on the floorboards, and then Maddie was in her office. “What’s up?” she asked, eyebrows raised curiously.

Foggy cheerfully read the headline to her, then exclaimed, “Girlfriends! They called us girlfriends, Maddie!”

“That’s because we _are_ girlfriends,” Maddie replied in an amused voice.

“Yes, but this is the first time the media has actually _acknowledged_ it. To be honest, after they saw the pictures I figured they would write something like **‘BFF’s Nelson and Murdock Display Secret New Handshake at the Park.’ "**

Maddie laughed at that. “Well, I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“Yeah, me either.”

Maddie seated herself on the edge of the desk and ran her fingers through Foggy’s blonde hair. “You seem pretty happy about this. Are you sure you’re okay with it, though? Now that they know we’re dating, I doubt they’ll quit taking pictures of us anytime soon. If anything, they’ll follow us around even more. I’m afraid someone will try to take pictures through your apartment window again.”

Foggy shrugged and leaned into Maddie’s touch. “I wouldn’t say I’m happy about it. If I could choose, the paparazzi wouldn’t be taking pictures of us or anybody else at all. But like you said before, they’re not going to stop anytime in the near future, so we might as well be honest and live the way we want to without being afraid of who might see it.”

Maddie nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll just have to be careful that they don’t find out about the… _Double-D_ situation.”

Foggy snickered and said, “Yeah, if the paparazzi see me with _Double-D,_ they’ll think I’m cheating on you or something. It would be scandalous.”

Maddie grinned. “That would definitely make things more interesting. And I wouldn’t blame you if you did cheat on me with her. I hear she’s very charming when she wants to be.”

“Oh, shut up,” Foggy said, half exasperated, half fond. She reached up and gently pulled Maddie down to kiss her. They made out for a little while, slow and lazy, before Maddie briefly broke away and whispered mischievously, _“Lawyer in the streets, devil in the sheets.”_

“Oh my _god_ ,” Foggy groaned. I am leaving right this second so I don’t have to hear your crappy jokes any more.”

Foggy stood up out of her chair and lightly pecked Maddie on the lips. “Well, I’m glad that everything’s settled now,” Maddie said, voice warm.

“Me too, Maddie. Do you want some coffee?”

Maddie smiled and replied, “Yeah, but not if Karen’s making it. I love her to death, but she can’t make coffee worth shit." 

Foggy giggled. “You’re telling me. Come on, I’ll make it this time.”

She and Maddie left her office and began their workday together (which ended up requiring several pots of coffee).

The three women spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon meeting with prospective clients and filing paperwork, followed by going to Josie’s for a round of drinks. So all in all, their day was really good.

Foggy had a strong feeling that the days that followed would be good as well. There were bound to be days filled with stress, asshole paparazzi, bandaging Maddie’s wounds, and worrying about Maddie ending up in another dumpster; that was just a part of life, or at least Foggy’s life. Strangely enough, she had (to a degree) gotten used to most of that throughout the previous few months.

At this point, she considered herself the master of dealing with stress, and due to the horrifying ordeals they had all dealt with recently, Foggy genuinely felt like she could handle most anything that life decided to throw at her. She knew that she would always be surrounded by Karen and Maddie to offer support, and that they would be there without fail to lessen the burden when necessary.

For the first time in months, and possibly even years, Foggy was genuinely excited for what the future had to offer. She and Maddie were up-and-coming lawyers, clients were finally starting to flood in, and they could count on Karen to remain a great employee and friend.

Most importantly, though, Foggy couldn’t wait to take on the future with Maddie. They had been through hell and back together, and despite their struggles, they were now happier than they ever were. No matter what life handed them, Foggy knew without a doubt that Maddie would be there right beside her, loving and supporting her the entire time. And honestly? That was the best feeling in the world.

 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Just Gals Being Pals *~* FanArt *~*](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4293723) by [pumkinteacup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumkinteacup/pseuds/pumkinteacup)




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